1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a photosensitive material processing apparatus, wherein a photosensitive material is scanned with and exposed to light, latent images are thereby formed on the photosensitive material, the photosensitive material is then subjected to development processing, and positive images are thereby formed on the photosensitive material. This invention also relates to a photosensitive material exposing apparatus for use in the photosensitive material processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Miniature development laboratories and photosensitive material processing apparatuses, which are referred to as photoprinters, are provided with an exposing section, in which a photosensitive material is exposed to light and a latent image is thereby formed on the photosensitive material, a development processing section, in which development, fixing, and washing are carried out, a drying section, and the like. The operation for exposing the photosensitive material to light is carried out by irradiating light, which has passed through a negative film, to the photosensitive material. The exposing operations are classified into a surface exposing operation and a scanning exposing operation, which is carried out via a slit.
The exposing operation and the development processing are carried out by conveying the photosensitive material from the exposing section to the development processing section. Such operations are classified into a system, wherein the photosensitive material is formed into a plurality of sheets before being exposed to light and the sheets are conveyed one after another at predetermined intervals, and a system, wherein a roll of photosensitive material is subjected to the exposing operation and the development processing and is finally cut and finished to predetermined lengths by using a cutter.
In the past, a photosensitive material was subjected to an analog exposing operation, in which the photosensitive material was exposed to light having passed through a negative film. Recently, it has been proposed to carry out a digital scanning exposing operation, in which a laser beam is modulated in accordance with image information having been obtained by reading out an image recorded on a negative film, and a photosensitive material is scanned with and exposed to the modulated laser beam. However, in order for the digital scanning exposing operation to be carried out, the accuracy, with which the adjustment of the position of the photosensitive material, conveyance of the photosensitive material, or the like, is carried out, must be kept high. It has been revealed that, if conventional position adjusting mechanisms and guide mechanisms are utilized directly for the digital scanning exposing operation, advantages of the digital scanning exposing operation cannot be achieved sufficiently. Specifically, the digital scanning exposing operation requires more accurate control techniques and mechanisms than in the analog exposing operation and thus has various problems to be solved.
As for the conveyance of the photosensitive material, the photosensitive material has heretofore been formed into a plurality of sheets, the sheets of the photosensitive material are then exposed to light and conveyed to the development processing step one after another. Therefore, when the sheets of the photosensitive material are conveyed one after another, a predetermined spacing must be set between adjacent sheets of the photosensitive material. For example, in cases where 100 mm-long sheets of the photosensitive material are conveyed one after another, a spacing of approximately 30 mm should be set between adjacent sheets. Also, in order for a series of processes, such as the exposing operation and the development processing, to be carried out quickly, the speed, with which the sheets of the photosensitive material are conveyed, must be kept high. For this purpose, the size of the entire photosensitive material processing apparatus cannot be kept small. Further, since the sheets of the photosensitive material are continuously conveyed at the predetermined intervals, the reliability, with which the sheets are conveyed, cannot be kept high.
As a means for solving the problems described above, it may be considered to utilize a long strip of photosensitive material, instead of the photosensitive material being formed into a plurality of sheets. In cases where the long strip of the photosensitive material is conveyed, the spacing between frames, in which latent images are formed, can be reduced to approximately 3 mm. Therefore, in such cases, if the conveyance speed is kept the same, the processing capacity can be enhanced by approximately 30% as compared with the aforesaid technique utilizing the sheets of the photosensitive material.
However, in cases where the long strip of the photosensitive material is conveyed to the exposing section, disturbance, such as vibration of the conveyance mechanism, will be transferred to the photosensitive material, and the photosensitive material will meander or will move unintentionally. Therefore, the scanning exposing operation cannot be carried out accurately. Specifically, such that the long strip of the photosensitive material may be conveyed to the exposing section and the scanning exposing operation can be carried out accurately, a measure for preventing the disturbance must be taken for the conveyance mechanism.
Also, the photosensitive material is provided with a mark for identification of the image information recorded on the photosensitive material, and the exposing operation is carried out in accordance with the mark. However, in cases where the photosensitive material takes on the form of a long strip and, for example, hole marks are formed with a punching device in the long strip of the photosensitive material, the vibration due to the punching operation is transferred to the photosensitive material and adversely affects the scanning exposing operation. Further, in order for the exposing operation to be carried out in accordance with the mark formed on the photosensitive material, the mark must be formed in accordance with the image information before the exposing operation is carried out.
Moreover, after the exposing operation is carried out in accordance with a single unit of image information, a certain length of time is required to feed the next unit of image information into the photosensitive material processing apparatus when the exposing operation is to be carried out in accordance with the next unit of image information. However, if the conveyance of the photosensitive material is continued when the next unit of image information is being fed into the photosensitive material processing apparatus, a portion of the photosensitive material will remain unexposed to light. Therefore, the photosensitive material cannot be utilized efficiently.
Such that stable development processing may be carried out in the development processing section, the operation of the development processing section should preferably be continued when the image information is being fed into the photosensitive material processing apparatus. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a conveyance mechanism such that the photosensitive material can be utilized efficiently and such that the development processing can be continued when the image information is being fed into the photosensitive material processing apparatus.
The photosensitive material processing apparatus comprises a large number of members, each of which has a natural resonance frequency. Therefore, in particular, members of the exposing section should have different natural resonance frequencies such that the scanning exposing operation can be carried out under little vibration.